From the cool and mild bell to the scorching-hot habanero, there's a pepper for every palate.

Growing Peppers

There's a lot to love in these colorful warm-weather vegetables: The active ingredient in chile peppers is used in ointments that soothe sore muscles and in thug-repelling pepper spray. Another good use: Chile powder is fed to captive flamingos to keep their feathers pink. But the most popular reason chile pepper aficionados love them is for their flavor. There's plenty of diversity in fruit shapes, colors and sizes and the way the plants grow. And, of course, there's diversity in the heat among various types of chiles.